Sophia Domancich (born 25 January 1957) is a French pianist and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

composer.''Biographie de Sophia Domancich'' sur le site de l
Cité de la musique de Paris
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Life and Work

Domancich began learning piano at the age of six and attended the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...

from 1968 to 1975 where she won first prize for piano and chamber music. She began her career as an accompanist in vocal and dance lessons, such as the Paris Opera and the Théâtre de Caen. In 1979 she met Steve Lacy, Bernard Lubat and Jean-Louis Chautemps who introduced her to the world of jazz and improvisation. In 1982 she formed a duet with

Laurent Cugny Laurent Cugny (born 14 April 1955 in La Garenne-Colombes) is a French jazz musician (pianist, bandleader, composer and arranger), jazz critic and musicologist. In 1987, he recorded two albums with his big band Lumière and Gil Evans. Awards *Djan ...

and joined the big band Lumiére (also containing Cugny). She later participated in Quoi D'Neuf Docteur? with Steve Grossman,

Glenn Ferris Glenn Arthur Ferris (born June 27, 1950) is an American jazz trombonist who has also worked in other fields. Outside of jazz he has played for Frank Zappa, Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, and Duran Duran. He studied classical music from 1958 to 196 ...

and

Jack Walrath Jack Arthur Walrath (born May 5, 1946) is an American post-bop jazz trumpeter and musical arranger known for his work with Ray Charles, Gary Peacock, Charles Mingus, and Glenn Ferris, among others. Biography Walrath was born in Stuart, Florida. ...

. In 1983 during a brief collaboration with the group Anaïd, she met several English musicians from the Canterbury scene: the former Gong drummer

Pip Pyle Phillip "Pip" Pyle (4 April 1950 – 28 August 2006) was an English-born drummer from Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, who later resided in France. He is best known for his work in the progressive rock Canterbury scene bands Gong, Hatfield a ...

(with whom she lived with for several years), and in the aftermath the former Soft Machine members

Elton Dean Elton Dean (28 October 1945 – 8 February 2006) was an English jazz musician who performed on alto saxophone, saxello (a variant of the soprano saxophone) and occasionally keyboards. Part of the Canterbury scene, he featured in, among ot ...

(saxophone) and

Hugh Hopper Hugh Colin Hopper (29 April 1945 – 7 June 2009) was a British progressive rock and jazz fusion bass guitarist. He was a prominent member of the Canterbury scene, as a member of Soft Machine and other bands. Biography Early career Starting in ...

(bass). Together they formed the group L'Equip Out in late 1984, which included for a time as fifth member

Didier Malherbe Didier Malherbe (born January 22, 1943 in Paris), is a French jazz, rock and world music musician, known as a member of the bands Gong and Hadouk, as well as a poet. His first instrument was a saxophone, but he also plays flutes, alto clarin ...

on the flute and the tenor saxophone. The group made two recordings and she played with them until 1991. In 1986, she met Bernard Drouillet (drums) during a studio session, and he invited her to join the Trio Davenport created by Charles Calamel (double bass). She also played in the Quartet Hors-Série. In 1990, L'Equip Out recorded a second album, ''Up!'', with bassist Paul Rogers. With the latter and drummers Bruno Tocanne and

Tony Levin Anthony Frederick Levin (born June 6, 1946) is an American musician and composer, specializing in electric bass, Chapman Stick and upright bass. He also sings and plays synthesizer. Levin is best known for his work with King Crimson (since 1 ...

, she formed the Sophia Domancich Trio with which she toured for eight years, including the London club Ronnie Scott's in 1992, and recorded five studio albums (mostly original compositions). Also with Rogers, she creates in 1995 a quartet with the original composition, including two trumpets (Patrick Fabert and Jean-François Canape). In the 1990s, she also began collaborating with

John Greaves John Greaves (1602 – 8 October 1652) was an English mathematician, astronomer and antiquarian. Educated at Balliol College, Oxford, he was elected a Fellow of Merton College in 1624. He studied Persian and Arabic, acquired a number of old ...

(with whom she also recorded in the trio with

Vincent Courtois Vincent Courtois (born 21 March 1968) is a French jazz cellist. Biography Courtois studied classical cello at the Conservatory of Aubervilliers, first with Erwan Fauré, and then with Roland Pidoux and Frédéric Lodéon. He also played Didier ...

Trouble with Happiness in 2002) and with Simon Goubert. In 1990, she participated in the album Little Bottle linen from

(former bassist and singer of the experimental rock group

Henry Cow Henry Cow were an English experimental rock group, founded at the University of Cambridge in 1968 by multi-instrumentalists Fred Frith and Tim Hodgkinson. Henry Cow's personnel fluctuated over their decade together, but drummer Chris Cutler, b ...

). The collaboration continued with Songs (1995), partly sung by Robert Wyatt, and The Trouble With Happiness (2003), in trio with

(cello). From 1997 to 2000 she was a pianist under Didier Levallet in the Orchester National de Jazz. In 1999, she became the first woman to receive the

Prix Django Reinhardt The Prix Django Reinhardt is an award granted by the French Académie du Jazz for the best French jazz musician of the year. It is named after Django Reinhardt. The prize is determined by a jury of jazz journalists, producers, and musicians. In 20 ...

from the Jazz Academy as French Musician of the Year In 2000 she formed the Quintet Pentacle, with Simon Goubert, Jean-Luc Cappozzo, Claude Tchamitchian, Michel Marre, with whom she recorded two albums. In 2006 the Trio DAG (Domancich, Avenel, Goubert) was formed. The Trio DAG created three albums as a Trio and the album "free 4 DAG" with saxophonist

Dave Liebman David Liebman (born September 4, 1946) is an American saxophonist, flautist and jazz educator. He is known for his innovative lines and use of atonality. He was a frequent collaborator with pianist Richie Beirach. In June 2010, he received ...

. The electronic musician Fred Avril asked her in 2002 to remix his piece The Date. She then works with the sound designer Raphael Marc, with whom she composes Lilienmund, a concerto for piano and electronics inspired by a

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lieder, and works by Alban Berg,

Qigang Chen Qigang Chen (; ; born 8 August 1951) is a Chinese-French composer who has lived in France since 1984 and obtained French citizenship in 1992. Biography Coming from an intellectual family, Qigang Chen was born in Shanghai and began his musical s ...

. In 2003 she formed the Flowers Trio with Ramón López and

Joëlle Léandre Joëlle Léandre (born 12 September 1951 in Aix-en-Provence, France) is a French double bassist, vocalist, and composer active in new music and free improvisation. In the field of contemporary music, she has performed with Pierre Boulez's E ...

. In 2004 she formed the group Soft Bounds with Simon Goubert and two former colleagues of L'Equipe Out,

and

, a collaboration unfortunately cut short by the deaths of Dean in 2006 and Hopper in 2009. In 2007, she released a duo album with Simon Goubert (You Do not Know What Love Is), and in 2010, she released an album mostly sung or recited entitled "Snakes & Ladders", including

and Himiko Paganotti, Robert Wyatt, Napoleon Maddox, Ramón López. In 2007 the French Ministry of Foreign affairs combined with the Ministry of Culture and created the book 100 Jazz Titles,100 titres sur le JAZZ highlighting French Jazz Music. The book included Sophia's 2002 Pentacle Quintet release. Her elder sister Lydia Domancich is also a jazz pianist.

Discography

As leader : * 1991 : ''Funerals'', Sophia Domancich Trio (Gimini Music) * 1993 : ''Rêve de singe'', Sophia Domancich Trio (Gimini Music) * 1995 : ''L'année des treize lunes'', Sophia Domancich Trio (

Seventh Records Seventh is the ordinal form of the number seven. Seventh may refer to: * Seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution * A fraction (mathematics), , equal to one of seven equal parts Film and television *"The Seventh", a second-season ep ...

) * 1997 : ''La part des anges'', Sophia Domancich Trio (Gimini Music) * 1999 : ''Rêves familiers'', Sophia Domancich Solo (Gimini Music) * 2003 : ''Pentacle'', Quintet Pentacle (Sketch) * 2007 : ''Triana Moods'', Quintet Pentacle (Cristal Records) * 2010 : ''Snakes and ladders'', Sophia Domancich (Cristal Records) * 2016 : ''Alice's Evidence'', Sophia Domancich (Marge) * 2017 : ''So'', Sophia Domancich (Sans Bruit) As co-leader : * 2002 : ''That Horse Must Be Starving (The Date Remix)'', with Fred Avril (F Communications) * 2005 : ''Avant'', with Elton Dean (Hux) * 2005 : ''Soft Bounds'' * 2006 : ''DAG'', with Jean-Jacques Avenel and Simon Goubert (Effendi) * 2007 : ''You Don't Know What Love Is'', with Simon Goubert (Cristal Records) * 2008 : ''Washed Away, Live At The Sunside'', with Hamid Drake and William Parker, Futura Marge * 2011 : ''Courtepointe'', ''Live At the Sunside'', with Mark Helias and Andrew Cyrille, Futura Marge As member : * 1986 : ''Pip Pyle, Equipe Out (Voiceprint) * 1988 : ''Davenport'', Trio Davenport * 1989 : ''Au-delà des limites'', Lydia Domancich (Too Much) * 1990 : ''Little Bottle of Laundry'', John Greaves (Resurgent/Musea Distribution) * 1990 : ''Up!'', Equipe Out (United States Of Distribution LTD) * 1994 : ''Thank You To Be'', Peter Gritz * 1994 : ''Songs'', John Greaves (Le Chant du Monde) * 1995 : ''Odessa'', Bruno Tocanne Réunion (Night and Day) * 1996 : ''Silent Knowledge'', Elton Dean Quintet (Orkhestra) * 1997 : ''Time of Brightness I'', Paul Rogers Quartet (Rare Music) * 1997 : ''ONJ Express'', ONJ Didier Levallet * 1999 : ''Living Alive'', Stefano Maltese / Open Sound Ensemble (Leo Records) * 1999 : ''New Shapes'', Éric Barret (Charlotte) * 1999 : ''Sequences'', ONJ Didier Levallet * 2000 : ''Deep Feelings'', ONJ Didier Levallet (Frémeaux & Associés) * 2001 : ''Désormais'', Simon Goubert Quintet (Seventh New) * 2004 : ''Le Cœur Allant Vers'', Stella Vander * 2005 : ''Flowers Of Peace'', Ramón López / Flowers Trio (Orkhestra) * 2005 : ''Et Après'', Simon Goubert Quintet (Ex-Tension) * 2008 : ''Background'', Simon Goubert Sextet (Le Chant du Monde)

References

External links

* Philippe Carles, André Clergeat et

Jean-Louis Comolli Jean-Louis Comolli (30 July 1941 – 19 May 2022) was a French writer, editor, and film director. Career Comolli was editor in chief of ''Cahiers du cinéma'' from 1966 to 1978, during which period he wrote the influential essays "Machines of t ...

, ''Dictionnaire du jazz'', Ed. Robert Laffont, Coll. Bouquins, Paris, 1994, , . * *
Biography
at Cristal Records {{DEFAULTSORT:Domancich, Sophia 1957 births Living people French jazz pianists 20th-century French women pianists French jazz composers Women jazz pianists Musicians from Paris Conservatoire de Paris alumni 21st-century French women pianists Orchestre National de Jazz members